Shots- should I or shouldn't I ?

[momPaws]

It will be the 3rd year since Honey has had her DPT (?) shot- the one for Parvo and distemper and?. Of course she always gets her routine rabies shorts and tested for heartworm and the medication, but when she turned 9 ...I decided to stop the DPT. But the vet said maybe we should give her that one every 3 years. Would like to hear your opinion if it is needed. She does not have alot of contact with other dogs, but sometimes I do walk her out of the yard.

[davet]

just strictly my opinion but i would get her the shots (not lepto) because regardless of the new rulings and ideas, the house bound dog looses their immunity rapidly and at 3 years they find the titers are not that reliable...but you never know when of how, even accidentaly she may get exposeed to any of the virueses...you can bring them in on your feet, or as you say not alot of contact...just one unfortunate contact and she can be exposed...i think you should get the shots but ask you vet about any particular disease prominance in you area....

[k9Karen]

I think a three-year schedule is good - I too find annual vaccinations to be a bit much, but giving one every three years to maintain immunity is not unreasonable. If I were you, I would go ahead with the vaccination. Older dogs, like older people, may begin to have failing immune systems, and making sure the immunity is still present is a good idea since any of the diseases prevented by this vaccine could be devastating to an older furkid.

BTW, it's a DHLPP, with Leptospirosis, DHPP without (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus). I initially did not have Angel vaccinated against Lepto when I got her on the advice of the Sheltie Rescue folks I got her from. She has since had the full DHLPP vaccine, at my vet's urging, and had no problems. Since Lepto is rodent-borne and often found in water runoff, it's not unreasonable to be concerned about infection here in Florida - and we are considered a rural county. (It is also common in large cities where rat or mice building infestation is prevalent, and also on farms, where rodents are often found (barns, fields, etc.). It's your call on the Lepto, but according to my vet, reactions are rare. The disese itself can be quite nasty. If Honey has already had a reaction, then of course you want to avoid it. If she hasn't had a reaction, and could be exposed to rodents or water runoff that could contain rodent urine, it might be wise to go ahead with the DHLPP. Ask your vet to be sure.

[momPaws]

Thanks, Davet & Karen..will have her get the shot. Appreciate your input.

[davet]

hey momspaws--did you catch this last ststement "Older dogs, like older people"?? do you think there is an inuendo in there

[TheSkeptic]

How could she be inferring anything here. There are no Old People here. ....

[JMM]

The lepto vaccine is often the culprit for vaccine reactions. This is really common in my breed (Maltese) and we recommend against the vaccine for that reason.

Also, make sure the vaccine covers the servovars of lepto that you see in your area. If it doesn't (it doesn't in my area), then you may not want to vaccinate for it if it is a worthless vaccine in your area.

As always, do the research about what diseases you need to protect your pets from in your area. It varies greatly.